STAFF WRITER
President Netumbo Nand-Ndaitwah has dismissed assertions that her family has taken control of the oil and gas industry in Namibia as ‘misleading’.
Some of the allegations were published online and in print media insinuating that her family had allegedly taken control of the oil and gas industry.
“I state categorically and without reservation that my children have no
interests, direct or indirect, in the oil and gas sector. I therefore require that the journalist concerned retract the statement and issue a public apology, or, in the alternative, present credible and verifiable evidence to substantiate the allegations,” the President said in a statement released by her office on Tuesday.
The President added that, “For the record, like any Namibian citizen, my children have the full and equal right to participate in the country’s economy. They do so to contribute to national development, the well-being of our people, and their own lawful livelihoods. We will not be faulted for exercising this right as long as it is done within the confines of the law.”
President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah last year moved the upstream part of the oil and gas industry under the presidency office saying the move will allow the country to monitor and learn more on the new industry.
The decision to move the upstream oil and gas industry under the presidency is part of a proposed amendment to the Petroleum Act, Defense and Veterans Affairs Minister Frans Kapofi — who served as Minister of Industries, Mines and Energy, said in Parliament late last year.
The bill also seeks to “provide for the transfer of certain powers” from the energy minister to the president and to the director-general of the upstream petroleum unit in the presidency. Some responsibilities held by the commissioner for petroleum affairs will also move to a newly created deputy director-general within the upstream unit.
Nandi-Ndaitwah also appointed former Deputy Minister of Mines and Energy,
Kornelia Shilunga, as Special Advisor and Head of the new Upstream Petroleum Unit within the Presidency. She manages the oil and gas sector, with Carlo McLeod as Deputy Head, to review regulations and ensure sector growth.
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